making meaningful community change

Making Meaningful Community Change

A Successful Network. A Stalled Plan.

Where do we go from here?

Convening and engaging leadership

Providing broad regional focus

Meaningful programsExample: Secure Jobs Connect

Perceived failure: Homelessness is worse than ever

Numbers without context

Question:How does a Network to End

Homelessness achieve (and document) success

in the context of homelessness as a persistent societal issue?

Question:What is our role going forward

and how will we define success?

In progress:A small working group outlining

a next-stage role that is different from but supportive of

the CoCs and providers

Defining our Unique RoleProvider Continuum of Care NetworkCommunity-based County-based Western Mass-based

Provides services and programs to families and individuals

Plans, funds, tracks and evaluates community response via providers

Convenes and engages leadership for maximum regional impact

Aligns efforts with national, state and local strategies

Conforms to national strategy for community-wide planning

Creates and implements strategies for WMA response

Reports data to CoCs, state and other funders

Reports point-in-time data to HUD and providers

Merges data for region-wide view and situational analysis

Outcome data could impact funding

Outcome data could impact funding

Needs data informs strategy and can generate new dollars

Current exploration:National models emerging for

community organizations seeking to become Agents of Change

A Theory of Change “… is the product of a series of critical-thinking

exercises that provides a comprehensive picture of the early- and intermediate-term

changes in a given community that are needed to reach a long-term goal

articulated by the community.”Andrea Anderson, “An Introduction to Theory of Change,” the evaluation exchange, Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Steps to Create a Theory of Change / Community Plan

1. Identify a long-term goal.

2. Conduct “backwards mapping” to identify the preconditions necessary to achieve that goal.

3. Identify the interventions that your initiative will perform to create these preconditions.

4. Develop indicators for each precondition that will be used to assess the performance of the interventions.

5. Write a narrative that can be used to summarize the various moving parts in your theory.*

*Adapted from www.theoryofchange.org (emphasis added)

“The first step is for stakeholders to be clear about what they want to produce through their initiative. We find group members often have very different ideas about what they are working toward.”

Theory of Change, the evaluation exchange, Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Networking-oriented Change Agent-oriented

Network Central repository for data

Convene Think tank

Collaborate Advocacy

Coordinate Community educator

Prioritize Resource developer via special initiatives/proposals

Leadership Expectations*

*From retreat “highest and best function” exercise

Networking-oriented Change Agent-oriented

Network (for what purpose?) Central repository for data

Convene (for what purpose?) Think tank

Collaborate (on what?) Advocacy

Coordinate (what activities) Resource developer

Prioritize (what?) Community education

Leadership Expectations*

*From retreat “highest and best function” exercise

Change-Agent roles

Central repository for data

Think tank

Advocacy

Resource developer

Community education

Leadership Expectations*

*From retreat “highest and best function” exercise

Samples goals mentioned by leadership

Rental analysis with community benefits report

Shovel in ground for new units

Mobility to school for homeless children

Employment-related support, especially for female Heads of Household

Key questions:1. Which factors affecting

homelessness can we truly impact?• That are supportive to the efforts of CoCs and providers• But not a duplication of their efforts

2. What is the actual work—and work plan—for the

Network?

1. Data Collection

Central repository for data for all of Western Massachusetts -Point-in-Time data from 2 CoCs

-Family tracking into/out of hotels

-Context data (census/poverty data; national comparative data) -Housing inventory data

-Special initiative data (ex: Secure Jobs Connect)

Key RolesUses

Strategy development, deployment

Political advocacy & funding

Community influence & education

Special initiative creation, funding, reporting & evaluation

CRITICAL ISSUE: INSUFICIENT STAFF

Only one “borrowed” staff member collecting CoC & program data.

2. Data Analysis

If we don’t understand the issues or have the full picture, who will? -Better intelligence for planning

-Full explanatory info on website

-Documentation for specific purposes or programs

Key RolesUses

Support strategy development

Build a case for policy changes and/or fundingBuild a case for community acceptance, housing support etc.Identify special initiative needs and gain funding

CRITICAL ISSUE: NO STAFFING

3. Political Advocacy

Bring collective impact to bear for critical issues/actionsMaintain important relationships at the state & municipal levelsEngage others in the Network/cause

Advocate for providers

Key RolesUses

Inform state & municipal policy

Advocate for policy changes

Maximize funding

Stabilize programming

HAVE IDEAL STAFFING

—if this were Pamela’s only role!

4. Strategy Development

Outside the confines of state or federal strategy and fundingWestern Mass specific

With a local agenda (ex: emphasis on families in hotels/motels)Targeted to capture other resources (ex: private $ for jobs or school programs related to homelessness)Targeted to enlist other constituents (ex: business community, public)

Key RolesUses

Find areas we can impact

Build on provider successes

Bring in new programs, new dollars

Achieve interim goals

BEST USE OF OUR LEADERSHIP?

Best and brightest of those working in homelessness are at the table

Potential Staffing Implications

Next Step: Select key areas of concentrationEXAMPLESPrevention strategies — generating new ideas such as the Housing Court program

Affordable housing creation — where we have credibility to influence and inform community opinionSupported employment programs for the homeless — with Secure Jobs Connect as an example of a fundable, effective programTraining and educational programs for the homeless — many grantors focus on education – could this be a fundable subset?

PROCESS

1. Leadership to select key areas of concentration

2. Leadership to review and refine committee structure

3. Leadership to participate in retreat to begin mapping strategy

4. Working group to reconvene with direction for drafting Community Plan

5. Written plan to be reviewed by committees and approved by LC

6. Six-Point to provide rebranding

7. Plan and brand to be presented at press conference and member event